well, never let it be said that i passed up a chance to pontificate. LOL
#1 ... taking offense or not is quite often a personal choice based on habits in perception. that whole glass half-full or half-empty thing. given that none of the respondents seem to have taken offense; and given your assurances that you intended no offense; i think we can run that cat out of the room now. it's all good. chillaaaaax.
#2 ... get 10 people in a room and you will get 30 definitions of just what is "art" and what is not. news flash - all quilters are artists. it's just that most of the rest of the world doesn't recognize quilting as an art form so a lot of quilters don't, either. it's labelled a craft - as though it's somehow inferior to that which is considered art. even among quilters, works are not normally labelled "art" unless they diverge somehow from traditional patterns of geometric piecing or applique (such as baltmore albums.) puleeeeze. decide for yourself whether or not you are an artist. and ... oh, by the way ... art can also be a hobby. LOL ;-)
yep. it's as easy as that. LOL
#3 ... if an art teacher knows a student will not be able to achieve a certain effect without a specific type of supply or tool, and that teacher still tells the student to not "waste the money" until they reach some arbitrary point on the skill scale ... well ... i'm sorry, but that teacher is no teacher. a real teacher should inform, inspire and encourage.
#4 ... as so many have already pointed out, things like "best", "worth it" and "worthy of it" are all in the eye of the beholder. we should be careful how we advise beginners when it comes to tools and equipment. unless she has money to burn, a person who is still trying to decide whether or not she wants to move forward in quilting should think twice about plunking down piles of cash. once she's hooked, though, all bets are off. the best advice then would be to try the tool(s) or machine(s) first and
then decide whether or not the bite in the budget is the best way to go.
as JulieR so wisely expressed it ... "As quilters build their skills and experience they can better tell what a quality tool or material will be because they'll know WHY they're looking for certain things, and then price becomes less of a guideline and more of a project management consideration."
and if your friend's "why" is "because it's there" ... that's ok, too - so long as she doesn't expect you to pay for it. LOL LOL LOL